The Heyday Inn is a
two-story wood structure that is currently operated as a restaurant and bar.
The ground floor contains a dinning room, bar, restrooms, private meeting
room, and kitchen facilities. The top story is an apartment where the
current owners reside. The private meeting room is the weekly meeting
location for the Smith Valley Rotary Club and the Soroptimist International
of Smith Valley.

The Heyday Inn was built around 1875 by Zadok
Pierce. It was at the time called Pierce Station, which was a grocery store,
hotel and feed store. By stagecoach travelers would come from the V&T train
station in Minden to Genoa, then to Mountain House for dinner. Then onward
across 11-mile flat, across the West Walker River and down Hoye Canyon to
Pierce Station where the stage line ended. Passengers on their way to
Sweetwater, Bridgeport, Bodie and Aurora would spend the night. The next day
a spring wagon would take the passengers and mail the rest of their journey.
In 1903 W. E. Reading and Gould Reading from Bodie bought Pierce Station.
They changed the name to W. E. Reading General Merchandise. They served the
valley ranchers and mining towns in the area. Around 1945 Perry and Gerri
Aikens Bought W. E. Reading Store and called it Heyday Inn. They operated as
a bar and restaurant until the early sixties when they sold it. In 1980 Bill
and Sherri Carlson and John and Marilyn Ithurburu purchased it from Earnest
Grosso. They did all the remodeling themselves and opened in January of
1983, roughly 100 years since it was built. The outside of the building is
all original but the inside was all redone. On July 1st. 2001, Bill and
Ellie Bohlin took over operation of the Heyday Inn and continue to operate
as a restaurant and bar.

The current owners of the Heyday Inn are
aware of its historic value to the community. No proactive community
activities are required to protect this site.